🗓 Itinerary
I scored a cheaper ticket with China Airlines this time, and man, it’s been forever since I had a non-budget airline meal—I’ve seriously missed it! Normally, I can’t vibe with tomatoes, but for some weird reason, I’m lowkey obsessed with tomato pasta 🍝 on flights (? Plus, I got to munch on it while binging Detective Conan.
Day 1 Tenjin All Day
天神逛逛 🛍
For lunch, I went to enjoy a much-anticipated grilled meat set. The place was pretty small, but there was no queue, so I got seated right away. After ordering, I thought it was kinda pricey. The set I chose included rice, pasta, and an abundance of meat. Some of the cuts were a bit too fatty, but the hamburger patty and the meat on the lettuce were delicious. It was such a satisfying meal (っ˘ڡ˘ς)
Motsu Bistro Tenjin Hormone (モツビストロ天神ホルモン 福岡パルコ店)
Address: 2-11-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, Parco B1F
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:30 PMTaste:Return visit: ✅ (A bit pricey, I’d consider it)
I wasn’t really planning to shop much, just checked out a few vintage stores, but the prices were kinda steep. Still ended up grabbing a purple light jacket though, haha.
Kego Shrine ⛩️
Located in the heart of Tenjin, Kego Shrine feels less like a tourist spot, with fewer people around. However, it has many beautiful omamori (charms), and I somewhat regret not buying one (ノ_<、)
I had planned to check in a Christmas Santa photo spot in Tenjin Central Park, but despite walking around, I couldn’t find it. Still, the place had a strong Christmas atmosphere 🎄
Pig Out 🍽️
In the afternoon, my sister wanted to pick up some merch from the Sushi-Ro 🍣 and “PUPPET SUNSUN” event, so we grabbed a few plates of sushi. It tasted pretty similar to what we have in Taiwan, though there were a few items that aren’t available back home.
For dinner, we went for tuna donburi, which I had been really looking forward to. But after finishing it, I found it kind of ordinary. I kept wondering if I ate it incorrectly. I saw that it could be mixed with soup at the end to make a tea rice, but since the tuna was soft and the egg was delicate, the rice was soggy. With the seaweed sauce making it even wetter, and adding the soup made everything turn into a mushy mess. By the end, I was struggling to finish it, especially with how big the bowl was. I left totally stuffed.
Maguro to Gohan Kuroda Han (マグロとご飯)
Address: 1-1-23 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, Savoy Building 1F
Opening Hours: 1:00 AM – 8:30 PM (Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)Taste:Return visit: ❌ (Didn’t understand the flavor)
Day 2 Ainoshima Island & Dazaifu
Ainoshima ≽^•⩊•^≼
We were planning to take the 7:50 AM ferry, so we arrived early at the ferry terminal. Luckily, we were early enough to see a few chubby cats around the terminal. After petting them, we waited about 5–10 minutes before boarding.
It was just in time for the sunrise, so we made sure to sit on the second floor of the ferry. The view from the boat was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn’t stop taking photos. The ride was a bit bumpy, though, and I felt really dizzy, almost about to throw up, but thankfully, it only took about 20 minutes to get there. (Looks like visiting Tashirojima will be a challenge for me.)
This was my first time visiting Cat Island, and before I went, I had a small doubt—what if there weren’t many cats on the island and the videos online were exaggerated? But, to my surprise, there were tons of cats ヽ(=^･ω･^=)丿! I almost got stuck near the harbor at the beginning.
Here are some of the cats I encountered along the way. I observed that the white and tortoiseshell cats were a bit more aloof, while the orange, tabby, and black cats were very friendly XDD. Most would come up to you on their own, and I didn’t encounter any that were aggressive (though I’ve heard some people have, so be careful).
We didn’t walk around the entire island. We started by walking to the left side, where there were many hidden paths to explore (and more cats!). Later, we walked to the end and found the sea, so we turned back and tried a different path on the right. At first, there were many cats, but as the path got steeper, we only encountered one cat before turning back.
In the end, we took the 10:50 AM ferry back. We spent nearly three hours on the island, which felt like a good amount of time, though you could easily spend the whole day there enjoying the cats.
Dazaifu ⛩️
Once we returned to Hakata, we hurried off to Dazaifu. We were hungry, so we stopped at Enmusubi Shokudo Soba Namiman (縁結び食堂 なみ満). After waiting about 20 minutes, we entered the restaurant, which had a traditional Japanese feel. The chicken was a little dry, but I hadn’t had oyakodon in a long time, so I still enjoyed it.
At checkout, the staff gives each person a coin, which you can use to make a wish at the pond outside. I only realized this after I got back lol—I thought it was a souvenir for me!
Enmusubi Shokudo Soba Namiman (縁結び食堂 なみ満)
Address: 3 Chome-2-55 Saifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Closed on Wednesdays)Taste:Return visit: ✅ (I love oyakodon!)
Omotesando in Dazaifu has many cute little shops. It’s similar to Kiyomizuzaka in Kyoto but much shorter, so you can finish shopping quickly. This time, we made sure to stop by Starbucks. I originally planned to try something special, but in the end, I ordered a Fukuji Tea Latte. It was lighter in tea flavor than the ones in Taiwan, but still very tasty. My sister accidentally ordered an Indian Tea Latte, and the strong spice flavor caught her off guard—she was shocked after the first sip, haha!
We planned to casually walk around Tenmangu Shrine, and I wasn’t very interested in the omamori (amulets). I didn’t think I’d try touching the sacred ox either, but later I found out that Dazaifu Tenmangu is the head shrine for all Tenmangu shrines. So, before leaving, I made sure to touch the biggest ox (´⌣`ʃƪ). If my wish comes true, I’ll definitely find time to visit Fukuoka again!
Hakata Ramen Street 🍜
After shopping, we hit up Ramen Street at Hakata Station and chose ShinShin, the top spot. There were 5–6 squads in line, but it moved fast—we got seated in 30 minutes.
I ordered a bowl of ramen and a half-serving of fried rice. The ramen was pretty good, and the fried rice was light and flavorful—really delicious! My sister got a seafood yakisoba, but the flavor was a bit one-dimensional, and she found it too salty. I thought it was okay, but I wouldn’t recommend ordering it.
ShinShin
Address: 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PMTaste:Return Visit: ✅ (Tasty, but I’d like to try other places next time)
Day 3 Uminonakamichi & Kumamoto
Marine World 🦦
Honestly, I’m not really that into aquariums, but there are only three sea otters left in Japan, and one of them is Riro (リロ) at Marine World. Since otters are just too freaking cute, we made a special trip just to see him. Even though Riro is the laziest and least active of the three, we were really looking forward to seeing him.
At 11:30 AM, we watched the dolphin & sea lion show. The show lasted about 30 minutes, and there was a school group visiting that day, so it got pretty packed. We managed to grab seats near the front but luckily didn’t get splashed. This was my first time seeing a dolphin show, and it was actually pretty fun. The sea lion was a total star as the opening act, really setting the vibe. My favorite part of the dolphin show was when this huge animal (definitely not a dolphin) did a lap around the pool at the end of each segment. It was SO big and moved soooo slowly, it was honestly hilarious.
At 12:30 PM, it was time to see the cutest Riro! At first, she was just lazily chilling on the rocks, totally soaking up some rest, but then the staff came out to feed him, and there were a few mini performances in between. The greedy little Riro • ㅅ• was SO adorable! Even though it was just a short 10-minute show, it was definitely worth it, especially since Riro is getting older, and we might have fewer chances to see him in the future.
After the show, we rushed outside to see the little penguins 🐧 waddling around. There were about four or five of them, and they were full of energy. I even got to see one swimming, and they were just as cute in the water!
As we followed the path, we found an upstairs area where we could see the seals. There was also a stand selling small fish for ¥500 to feed them. The portion was pretty generous, so I definitely recommend buying some to feed them. As soon as we got our fish, one of the seals started barking loudly, and we nearly died laughing. Another seal got all mad because it didn’t get any food and started splashing the water with its front flippers. The reactions were absolutely priceless!
Ticket Price: ¥2,500 per person (Buy tickets on KKday or Klook)
Recommended Stay Time: 1.5 - 2hrs
After spending about three to four hours exploring, we took a bus to Nakasu for lunch. This area is right next to Canal City, and there are lots of restaurants. I found a fancy eel restaurant for my sister. The place looked so upscale, I almost thought we were in the wrong spot! The food was quite good, though I’m not particularly fond of eel since it gets a bit rich for me after a while. However, the tamagoyaki was absolutely delicious, and we even got to enjoy a pudding dessert at the end.
Eel eight (鰻のエイト)
Address: 1F Uchiyama Building, 4-1-11 Nakasu, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PMTaste:Return Visit: ✅ (Delicious, but it’s a matter of personal preference)
Arrived in Kumamoto～～～
After taking the Shinkansen from Hakata to Kumamoto, I spent some time exploring AMU Plaza nearby and grabbed a meal at an omelette rice place. I ordered the shrimp and creamy tomato soufflé omelette rice. The tomato fried rice was delicious, and the soufflé-style eggs were super fluffy. But honestly, the eggs got a bit overwhelming toward the end—it was a struggle to finish. In hindsight, I should’ve just gone with the regular omelette rice.
サロン卵と私 アミュプラザくまもと店
Address: 3-15-26 Kasuga, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (AMU Plaza Kumamoto, 7th Floor)
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PMTaste:Return Visit: ❌ (okay, but the eggs got too rich after a while.)
Day 4 The Most Regrettable Day
Okay, so why is this the most regrettable day? Here’s the deal: I planned to visit Cuddly Dominion to see the beavers. But halfway through, something just felt off. The beavers I saw online were walking around, but here it was super quiet and empty. After looking it up, I found out the beavers I wanted to see were actually at “Aso Farm Land” (ｉДｉ). I was so upset! At first, I thought about rushing over there right away, but it was too much hassle. In the end, I had to totally rearrange my last day just to go there—just for the beavers! Ughhh!!!
Aso Station 🚂
Started my morning at Aso Station with breakfast. They have fresh Aso milk, yogurt, pudding, and these huge onigiri stuffed with soft-boiled eggs. The yogurt was super pure and tasty, and the milk had this unique, fresh-from-the-farm flavor. At first, it felt different, but the more I drank, the more I got hooked. Over the past two days, I think I’ve had three or four bottles already (๑•͈ᴗ•͈).
Cuddly Dominion 🐻
Let me start by saying, this animal park is probably the emptiest zoo I’ve ever been to, and the ticket price is already pretty steep. Everything inside costs extra, so it feels like the place is just trying to milk the tourists. But anyway, here are some animals I encountered—still cute!
- The bears 🐻 are the main attraction, and there are probably about 20-30 of them! As long as you buy food, they’ll strike a pose like they’re ready to catch something—so adorable! Unfortunately, by the time I wanted to buy something, all the fruit baskets were sold out, so I could only feed them dry food, but they still seemed pretty into it.
- At noon, you can draw a number to take a photo with the baby bears, which costs ¥500 (more money to spend!). But they’re so cute, you can even hug them. It would’ve been a crime not to take a picture (´-_ゝ-`). Afterward, there’s a storybook about the bears nearby, and you can check out sandbags that mimic the baby bears’ weight at each stage of their growth—such a thoughtful touch.
- I wanted to race the pigs, but no one was around, and I was too shy to ask. So I just wandered around and observed. The staff member there really seemed to love the little pigs—such a heartwarming sight.
- The dog area had lots of cute dogs, but it was so cold, they were all curled up by the heaters, sleeping. I didn’t stay long.
- There’s a guinea pig area with two boxes of guinea pigs. You can buy carrots to feed them, but you’re not allowed to touch them!
- The cat, small animal, and reptile areas are all within the same area. The cats were super cute—one loved being petted. The parrots said “hello” and “goodbye” (in Japanese), and at certain times, you can hold a snake (photos and videos are free). It was my first time holding a snake, and it was really heavy.
- Far in the distance is the squirrel monkey area, which was probably the most “worth it” part for me. We bought a mealworm and sunflower seeds for ¥100, and the little monkeys rushed over right away. They loved the mealworms, but when we gave them the sunflower seeds, one dropped them on the ground. My sister and I were like, “How could it do that?” But then the monkey, worried we’d stop feeding it, quickly picked them up and started peeling the seeds. Turns out it just didn’t like peeling them, haha! The best part? It actually went back to pick them up—it was so clever! We were nearly in tears laughing.
- The Miyazawa Theater performance lasts about 30 minutes, and it’s free, so definitely worth checking out. The show features a little monkey and a woman doing a comedy skit, and at the end, Mr. Miyazawa himself comes out for a bit. It’s fun, though sometimes it feels a bit cruel. After the performance, they offer a photo with autographs for ¥1,000, and that’s when I realized the price, so I quickly left, haha.
- The goat area is interactive, and the goats kept coming up to me like they wanted to eat my clothes. I was a bit scared to touch them, but they were still cute.
- The capybara area was too cold, and all the capybaras were inside sleeping.
- The penguin area is similar to the one at Umi no Nakamichi, and they were adorable, though not as close as I expected. There’s a feeding show before noon, but the schedule is packed, so you’ll need to plan ahead.
Ticket Price: ¥2,600 per person
Recommended Stay Time: 1.5 - 2hrs to fully explore
Kamitori / Shimotori Shopping Arcade 🛒
To ensure we had a smooth trip to Aso tomorrow, we headed back to Kumamoto early for a quick stroll through the shopping arcades, T_T. I had originally planned to visit Sakura-no-baba Josaien too.
For some drugstore shopping, we stopped by Sundrug—known for its affordable prices. I wasn’t sure if it was actually cheaper, though. The selection was a bit limited, but there was a really friendly staff member who spoke Chinese, which made the experience a lot better.
Along the way, we grabbed Houraku Manju 🍯, a tasty wheel cake. I went for the white bean paste flavor for ¥110. The sweet honey was a perfect match with the smooth white bean paste (白あん). It was super delicious and piping hot, just right for a winter snack.
Houraku Manju (蜂楽饅頭 熊本上通店)
Address: 5-4 Kamitori-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, Japan
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 19:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)Taste:Return Visit: ✅ (I love sweet treats like this)
After shopping, we took a quick break at the hotel before heading across the street for ramen. There weren’t many people when we arrived, so we were seated right away. We ordered one original flavor and one rich flavor. I thought the original was tasty but kind of ordinary, while my sister loved the rich flavor. It wasn’t as salty as it looked, and she was so impressed she wanted to bring Kumamoto ramen back with us! The free pickled bean sprouts were amazing—we ended up eating like two or three plates by accident.
Ramen Tatsunoya (ラーメン龍の家 ワシントン通り店)
Address: 2-3-8 Shimotori, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, Japan
Opening Hours: 18:00 – 00:00 (Closed on Wednesdays)Taste:Return Visit: ❌ (Tasty, but Japanese ramen and I don’t quite get along)
On our way back to the hotel, we impulsively stopped by Matsuya to grab a kids’ meal. I’d heard great things about Matsuya in Japan and wanted to try it (even though I haven’t tried the one in Taiwan). To my surprise, rice is all-you-can-eat in Japan—so jealous!
The kids’ meal I ordered was decent. The sausage was tasty, and the drink (similar to Calpis) was refreshing. Considering the price, this meal, which even came with a small gift, was such a great deal!
Taste:Return Visit: ✅ (As long as I can still eat it, I’ll keep buying it.)
Day 5 The Happiest Day
Aso Farm Land 🦫
Finally made it to the right place! (((o(°▽°)o))) The entrance fee here is half the price of Cuddly, and even though the park is a bit smaller, you get to interact with the animals up close. There are sooo many of them, and they all look super well taken care of and cozy.
They’ve got capybaras, wild rabbits, goats, sheep, parrots, flamingos, squirrel monkeys, meerkats, and prairie dogs. Indoors, you’ll find rabbits, chinchillas, gerbils, turtles, owls, and guinea pigs. There’s even a room full of ducks, though you can’t go inside and can only peek at them. Most of the animals roam freely, and almost all are touchable. It’s absolutely amazing—this is what a real animal park should feel like!
The beavers didn’t come out until 1:30 PM. First, one appeared, and then every 30 minutes or so, another one would slowly make its way out. They were the cutest things ever! I bought a big veggie bucket for ¥800 to feed the beavers and other animals. I even got to watch a beaver carry a massive piece of feed back home, drag some wood around, and swim back to its house. Absolute bliss! Beavers are so soft and have temperaments just as gentle as capybaras—they don’t get upset no matter how much you pet them. I’m officially obsessed. Consider me a super fan of Beaver Club •ू(ᵒ̴̶̷ωᵒ̴̶̷*•ू) )੭ु⁾
Afterward, we found a souvenir shop that sold Aso milk, so of course, I grabbed two bottles immediately and also treated myself to an Aso milk ice cream. It was SO GOOD—like, insanely creamy and smooth. I almost caved and got the sweet potato ice cream too. Then we hit a little food court and split a bowl of udon. The noodles were so springy, and the soy-based broth was simple but perfect for the chilly weather—total comfort food. Oh, and I also inhaled two salted rice balls. We ate like champs, lol.
The souvenirs were pretty basic, but omg, the beaver plushies and cushions were ridiculously cute. Sadly, they were a bit pricey, so I didn’t buy any. If they sold a beaver photo book like the one at Marine World, I would’ve bought it.
Since it was the last day of the trip, we headed straight to the airport. Luckily, we’d pre-booked the bus (it only runs once a day!) and timed it perfectly with our flight. The bus was late, which made us super anxious, but we made it just in time.
Ticket Price: ¥800 per person
Recommended Stay Time: 1 – 2hrs (but I stayed nearly 5hrs lol)
Kumamoto Airport ✈️
Kumamoto Airport is small, and we were through security in about half an hour. After passing security, there’s a row of capsule toy machines on the right, where I found the cutest “getting off the bus” bell! The duty-free shop doesn’t have much, mostly Kumamon (the Kumamoto bear) goods and spicy cod roe. If you need souvenirs, it’s better to buy them in the city.
On the way back, I had smoked chicken fried rice. I originally wanted to have onion beef rice, but it was already sold out! I’ll definitely choose a seat where I can pick my meal earlier next time (つ﹏<)･ﾟ｡ However, the smoked chicken fried rice was still delicious. I really love airplane meals!
💸 Personal Expenses
- Flight tickets (TPE → FUK + KMJ → TPE): NT$ 11,384 per person
- Accommodation: NT$ 86 (used Asia Miles points, so only the tax was paid)
- Travel insurance: NT$ 358
- Pre-trip preparations (eSIM): NT$ 115
- Transportation: NT$ 3,001
- Food & drinks: NT$ 4,459
- Shopping (including tickets and souvenirs): NT$ 7,755
Total: NT$ 27,158.
Luckily, my sister’s Asia Miles points helped us save money and book a decent hotel (though we had to pay extra for breakfast). Still, it’s a good savings overall (? ༶ඬ༝ඬ༶
Funliday: 2024 Japan Fukuoka & Kumamoto Trip